The present disclosure is related to a patient support apparatus that includes a control system for calculating a true weight of a patient placed on the patient support apparatus. More specifically, the present disclosure is directed to the patient support apparatus having a control system that gathers information regarding non-patient loads placed or removed from the patient support apparatus, automatically updates the net weight of the non-patient loads, determines the net weight change of the patient, and determines the true weight of the patient supported on the patient support apparatus.
In a care facility, caregivers may monitor the weight of a patient to diagnose and treat certain medical conditions. For example, some caregivers may closely monitor a patient's weight loss or weight gain throughout a course of treatment to determine, for example, whether the patient is retaining water. To facilitate making those determinations, some caregivers may use an amount of weight calculated by the patient support apparatus upon which the patient is being supported. However, it is burdensome for the caregivers to remove all non-patient loads from the patient support apparatus before determining the weight of the patient. If previously added non-patient loads are not properly removed from the patient support apparatus at the time of the determination, the weights attributable to that non-patient loads cause incorrect weight readings and result in incorrect diagnosis or treatment to certain medical conditions.
In addition, when a new patient is assigned to the patient support apparatus, the caregivers need to reset the weighing scale of the patient support apparatus prior to the new patient's arrival. Lack of some indication on the patient support apparatus that the patient support apparatus has been reset or requires reset can place an unnecessary burden on the caregivers.